Customer Appreciation Day results in donation to Fisher House

A recent Customer Appreciation Day held by Piggly Wiggly in Jacksonville proved to be a double benefit to the community.

Jannette Pippin - Jannette.Pippin@JDNews.com

A recent Customer Appreciation Day held by Piggly Wiggly in Jacksonville proved to be a double benefit to the community.

Preston Taylor, owner and operator of Piggly Wiggly stores of Jacksonville and Maysville, recently presented a donation of $7,400 in store gifts cards to representatives of the Fisher House at Camp Lejeune.

The donation is the result of a benefit held in conjunction with the July 12 Customer Appreciation Day at the store on Henderson Drive.

During the event, customers were invited to enjoy free food and family fun and were also able to make donations to the Fisher House.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and General Mills were partners for the event.

Taylor said this is the second year that Piggly Wiggly has done a benefit for Fisher House, one of several community organizations they support.

“We’re locally owned and operated and a part of the community. We want to do what we can to give back,” Taylor said.

Fisher House Foundation has been serving military families since 1991, providing a “home-away-from-home” environment for families during medical crisis from illness and injury. The Camp Lejeune-based Fisher House is one of 62 comfort homes operating at major military and VA medical centers across the country.

Taylor said they donated toiletries and paper goods last year but chose to do gift cards this time so supplies wouldn’t take up storage space at the facility. With the gift cards, the organization can use them as they need to purchase supplies and to give to families to help them meet their needs while staying at Fisher House.

Taylor said the donation to Fisher House will go directly to helping the families it serves at the Camp Lejeune comfort house, which is located within walking distance of the hospital and Wounded Warrior complex.

Josie Callahan, manager of the Fisher House at Camp Lejeune, said the homes are built by the foundation and given as gifts to the military services and the Veterans Administration. The foundation works to ensure there is never a lodging fee for the families it serves and also has programs to help with transportation and lodging at local hotels through donated frequented flyer miles and hotel points.

Fisher Houses operate under a unique public-private partnership, and charitable contributions provide the majority of their funding, according to information from the organization.

Callahan said each donation they receive from the community is greatly appreciated and helps to enhance the service they provide to families.

“Through these ongoing donations we are able to create a greater experience for our families,” she said.

For more information about the Camp Lejeune Fisher House, go to lejeunefisherhouse.org or call 910-450-3885.